Contents

Plot

Squidward has had enough of SpongeBob's incessant laughter, so he tricks his neighbor into believing that SpongeBob has a laugh-related illness. According to the made-up disease, if SpongeBob laughs one more time in the next 24 hours, his Laugh Box will explode and he will never laugh or giggle again. For the rest of the day, SpongeBob fights every single urge to chuckle. First, he sees Patrick trip over a banana peel, and runs away. Next, he sees that whoopee cushions are all over the town. Then, he buries himself to never be interrupted by a joke during the night. The next morning, SpongeBob discovers that he completely lost the ability to laugh. He tells Patrick that he has lost his laugh, but when Patrick looks inside SpongeBob and lights a match, he runs around in circles. Later, SpongeBob goes to the Krusty Krab to tell Mr. Krabs that he has lost his laugh. Mr. Krabs says that money always makes him laugh, but SpongeBob does not feel a tickle.

SpongeBob consults Sandy, who is a scientist. Sandy gives SpongeBob books about laughter. SpongeBob reads the books, but still doesn't have any effect on his laugh box. Meanwhile, Squidward for the first time ever, has peace and quiet. Now utterly grief stricken, all SpongeBob can do is crying his eyes out, meaning more noise than ever. Squidward finally confesses to the sad sponge, as the crying has been more annoying than SpongeBob's giggles and after Squidward admits everything, SpongeBob laughs to see it has been a good joke and Squidward joins in the laughter. When Squidward says "You even fell for the thermometer in the onion boil routine!" SpongeBob immediately stops laughing, and goes inside his house. When Squidward laughs too much, he is taken to the hospital. Later, it is revealed that Squidward has lost his laugh and the doctor points out that someone has given him half of their laugh box. It isn't Patrick, Sandy or Mr. Krabs, it was SpongeBob! Squidward starts to laugh like SpongeBob and sprints out of the building, smashing the wall as well.

Trivia/Goofs

The quantum giggle theory book is written by Stephen Hawkgill, a pun on Stephen Hawking.

Patrick lights a match on his leg. This implies Patrick has sandpaper legs.

This episode was originally titled "Unfunny Pants", but when it aired on Nick, it was changed to "Laughbox", and then was later changed to "Funny Pants".

After Patrick slips on a banana peel several times, he says "Okay, right foot first..." but he actually picks up his left leg.